‘Sheriff for a Day’ contest open to kids in Somerset County

SOMERVILLE — Somerset County public and private school students in grades 6 through 12 are invited to submit a design for a Somerset County Sheriff’s Office patch to mark the office’s 300th anniversary.

“Our office is proud to be celebrating three centuries of service to the people of Somerset County,” said Sheriff Frank J. Provenzano, who became sheriff in January 2002. “We’re reaching out to middle- and high-school students to help commemorate this milestone by designing a new patch that we can use on our printed materials.”

Contest guidelines and an entry form, which includes a template for the patch and an illustration of the current emblem, can be found online at somcosheriff.org.

The deadline for entries is Dec. 1, 2011. Only one entry per student will be accepted. Designs may be submitted electronically or as hard copies. Each entry must be accompanied by a completed registration form.

The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony in late December and will serve as “Sheriff for a Day.” He or she will spend the day with Sheriff Provenzano and learn firsthand the duties and responsibilities of the Sheriff’s Officers and the county jail.

For more information, contact Barbara Bye in the Sheriff’s Office at 908-231-7135 or at bye@co.somerset.nj.us.